Expected long airport waits may dampen summer getaways

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Lines form at the security screening area in Terminal 2 at the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. The Transportation Security Administration is suggesting a two-hour pre-boarding time for domestic travel and a three-hour pre-boarding time for international travel due to a shortage of security personnel. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

TSA personnel check documents at the security checkpoint in Terminal B at Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. A nationwide shortage of security personnel and the higher security level following the Belgium terrorist attacks has caused longer than usual boarding times. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)

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A sign for passengers with complaints is posted at the TSA security checkpoint in Terminal B at Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, April 12, 2016. A nationwide shortage of security personnel and the higher security level following the Belgium terrorist attacks has caused longer than usual boarding times. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)

Thousands of air travelers in the Bay Area and around the nation may be in for long delays this summer because of a shortage of Transportation Security Administration personnel that clogged security check lines in San Jose and other airports over spring break.

In the Bay Area, the epicenter of the problem was at Mineta San Jose International Airport, where travelers arriving well before their scheduled flights found the usual preparations just didn’t cut it.

“There were people who missed flights and had to wait eight hours to start their vacation,” said Mineta spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes. “There were people who missed job interviews. We heard about a child who tripped and fell while running to catch a flight.”

San Francisco “didn’t experience any significant issues during spring break, despite strong volumes,” said San Francisco International Airport spokesman Doug Yakel. And at Oakland International Airport, spokeswoman Keonnis Taylor said that “while we certainly have had our challenges, I wouldn’t say we were hit as hard” as San Jose.

Hun Kim, of Orange County, who was flying out of San Jose Monday night and at the end of a fairly light queue, said it was a different scene two weeks ago when the line stretched toward the rotating sculpture in Terminal B.

“Even the security lady was shaking her head,” he said.

Barnes said TSA has since increased staffing and brought in a dog team during certain peak hours — the sniffer pooch detects explosives and can eliminate the need for shoe removal to speed things up.

“However, these solutions need to be permanent and long-term,” Barnes said, adding that the airport’s “passenger activity is expected to increase by 13 percent this summer with the addition of new domestic and international flights.”

The airport has since recommended that passengers arrive at least two hours ahead of time for domestic flights; three hours for international. They’ve also posted signs along the security line queue letting people know where to direct their complaints — to the Transportation Security Administration, which staffs the checkpoints.

“We are so focused on having good partnership with other agencies, but it was getting so bad,” Barnes said. “People are standing in line for two hours during lunch time, and they are losing business hours, and they’re raging at your Twitter account.”

Which they certainly did.

“One TSA checker … are you kidding me?” tweeted Jordan Keddie on Friday Friday. “@FlySJC everyone around us has already or is about to miss flights.”

Dozens more echoed the same sentiments, as did emails sent to the airport’s customer service address.

Other airports around the country have also expressed frustrations with TSA staffing, including Atlanta, the busiest in the world. There, airport manager Miguel Southwell fired off a letter to TSA in February threatening the possibility of hiring a private contractor to take over security because of “unacceptable” security check wait times of 52 minutes.

In San Jose, U.S. Representatives Mike Honda and Zoe Lofgren, both San Jose Democrats, said they would ask TSA to examine how they allocate their resources.

TSA spokesman Nico Melendez said that even with additional staffing, there can be bottlenecks at airports that simply don’t have room for more screening lanes and equipment.

Part of the problem in San Jose could be related to the increased passenger load that’s been steadily rising in recent years. Her prediction of 13 percent growth expected this summer is nearly twice the TSA’s cited national average uptick of 7 percent over spring break. SFO officials said they predict summer travel to spike by 7 percent. Oakland officials predicted an increase of 11 percent to 14 percent in the summer months.

“Those are very high levels that we have not seen in many years,” said John Albrecht, marketing and communications director at the Oakland airport. “We will be working with TSA to increase staffing and make sure all our lines are open and people are directed to the lines they need to be in to make operations as efficient as possible.”

In Oakland on Tuesday morning, a line 50 people deep waited in the standard security queue while Pre-Check fliers could often walk straight to the security agent or at most wait behind 10 people.

Marc Atlantic, of Austin, Texas, who was in town for business, said he’s seen the line get a bit longer during peak times when more people not officially registered are allowed in.

“Sometimes they do let a bunch in, and it definitely clogs it up,” he said.

Another issue involves under use of the TSA Pre-Check screening program, which allows passengers to pay a fee, have a background check conducted in advance and go through expedited screening. It’s still in use but hasn’t been popular enough to reduce the lines in the main checkpoints.

Jim Lites, executive director of the California Airports Council that represents the commercial airports throughout the state, said predictions for the summer travel season are bleak.

“Most of our membership is anticipating a challenge,” he said. “We expect that the manpower may not be sufficient to handle the volume of travelers, which we expect to be on the upswing compared to recent years.”

He said there was hope that the Pre-Check process would help, but that’s questionable at best.

“While it has helped,” he said, “I don’t think the program has penetrated deep enough to offset the increase in travelers most airports are anticipating.”

Eric Kurhi is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group based at The Mercury News. He covers Santa Clara County government and general assignment duties. An East Bay native, he has been editing and reporting at local newspapers since graduating from San Francisco State University in 1997.

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